What might the title represent — the Heart of Darkness — what is this referring to?
The theme of darkness is spread throughout the novel, so much so that almost everything is described as "dark" or "shadowed" or a derivative thereof at some point in the novel. So much is described as "dark" that it is hard to discern a set of defining characteristics. The phrase "Heart of Darkness," however, is used more sparingly and consistently to describe the African bush and, more specifically, Kurtz's hut. These places, practically the same, serve as the gravitational center of the novel. Marlow's entire story, his entire "yarn," is focused on reaching Kurtz and, after reaching Kurtz, is focused on coming to terms with what he saw.
This "Heart of Darkness," the heart of Africa, could be interpreted in two directions. The "Heart of Darkness" could be the corruption that people find when they become "lost" in the African wild. It is separation from the limits of civility that cause corruption. This "Heart of Darkness" is a temptation to return to wild, base instincts. It is the fear that the Africans are not so different from everyone else. With a change in location, the white men would act the same way. It is civility that saves them. Given the less-racist-than-normal view of Africans presented in the novel, however, this stance is unlikely.
More likely is that the "Heart of Darkness" is greed. Kurtz fell to this darkness, as did the Manager and so many others who saw in the African bush only more money to be made or, in Kurtz's case, simply more ivory. This speaks more about Britain's imperial attitudes at the time. Kurtz's greed (and lack of willpower to stop it) resulted in the corruption of his soul and, consequently, his body. Greed — the need for ivory, his "Heart of Darkness" — destroyed him.
Personally, I thought of the Heart of Darkness as more of man's natural instincts and his tendency to revert back to them if separated from the "civilized" culture which has brought us so far away from it. I find this somewhat matches up with the views expressed in your second paragraph, but I don't see it as truly being corruption due to it being more of a natural position. Before civilization, "savagery" didn't exist. The temperament and set of actions now grouped under that label were simply natural. I can see the argument that the values of civilization within the man are being corrupted, but I feel that to say the man himself is corrupted by reverting to his natural instincts is a bit of a stretch.
ReplyDeleteIt's just a thought.
Ben, after reading your explanations to darkness, I am sadly reconsidering mine. I'm afraid I might of only explained the figurative sense of "Heart of Darkness." I forgot about the hut!
ReplyDeleteAnywho, I do agree that darkness can symbolize becoming lost. Your body feels alone, lost of life. It's a terrible experience, and gives your mind a complete blank, thus leading to darkness. I never thought of basic instincts, though. Is the act of returning to basic instincts losing light, or knowledge, that one had before? I am thinking of the old story about the people trapped in a cave, where ignorance is bliss.
To say that the “Heart of Darkness” is greed is an interesting statement. Greed is such a broad term that basically every action taken by man could, according to some theories, essentially be broken down into selfish motives that only better the self in some way. Although this is somewhat of an extraneous point it seems that to say that the “Heart of Darkness” is greed is a rather short way of explaining it. Nevertheless, a theory that supports your statement in a sense is that, when in civilization greed is checked by moral and social standards. Whereas, when in the African bush there are no checks or laws for that matter thus the internal struggle between living how one is taught and how one is made becomes present in the novella. Therefore, it seems that the “Heart of Darkness” is the battle between nature versus nurture and the eventual succumbing to man’s innate instincts.
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